Revenge of the Shadows
by Neo Dragon X
Summary: King Sombra and Lord Darkrai, two of the darkest and most sinister villains ever to walk Equestria and Sinnoh, team up and come to extract their vengeance upon the Royal Sisters and the Legendary Brothers. When they kidnap the Princesses they love, Arceus and Giratina must team up with the Mane Six and Ash's Pikachu to get them back. A collab story with Delusional Potato.
1. Prelude

Friendship and Darkness: Prelude

**Hey guys! This is a collaboration story between me and fellow author Delusional Potato! Hopefully this story will capture your interest!**

**Summary: When King Sombra and Lord Darkrai return, bent on receiving vengeance, kidnaps the royal sisters Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, Arceus and Giratina will stop at nothing to save the mares they love. Join them, the Mane Six, and Pikachu as they battle to get the princesses back.**

Deep in the Icy North of the kingdom of Equestria, in the castle of the former King Sombra, ruler of the Crystal Empire, two dark specters planned their revenge. One of them was King Sombra himself, who managed to regenerate himself from his horn, which was the only thing that survived when the Crystal Heart had vaporized his body.

The other specter of the Prince of Nightmares, Lord Darkrai. After being stopped from shrouding the Pokémon world in eternal darkness by that accursed Cresselia and her pathetic helpers, the Pitch Black Pokémon vowed revenge on Arceus, who had created the Moon Pokemon and helped prevent him from taking over.

As of right now, Sombra was waiting patiently for his new ally to arrive. They had met a few days ago, when Sombra had just managed to regenerate himself. The Crystal King was severely weakened from expending so much energy to heal himself, and thought that he would die again. However, a sudden portal was ripped open. It was made by Palkia, the Legendary Dragon of Space.

In the middle of the conflict between himself and his brother Dialga, the Legendary Dragon of Time, the enraged Spacial Dragon had hurled a Spacial Rend at his brother, who had niftily avoided the attack before firing a Roar of Time back at him. The Spacial Rend had slashed into the fabric of space in the area it struck, ripping a large portal between the Pokemon World and Equestria.

Darkrai, severely weakened from his battle with the two Legendary Dragons, saw the portal and immediately retreated into it, thinking that there was a safe haven at the end. In a manner of speaking, he was right.

The Pitch Black Pokemon was instantly hurled into Equestria, where he was bewildered to find it full of talking ponies. Retreating into a gloomy castle in the Icy North, Darkrai had met Sombra, drained of his power. Summoning the power of Darkness, Darkrai healed both himself and Sombra with a powerful Dark Pulse.

The two then agreed on a deal. They would both help the other obliterate the ones they hated the most, in Darkrai's case, Arceus and Giratina, and in Sombra's case, Luna and Celestia. As Sombra watched, a pillar of blackish vapor floated into the room from underneath the door.

With a whoosh of smoke, the pillar thickened, growing two long dark arms ending in curved claws. The bottom section of the pillar thickened into a ruffed waist, while the top section instantly contracted, forming a long mane of silver vapor which extended backwards like a mane. A red ruff formed around the shape's neck, and a single blue eye, gleaming with pure malice, formed.

"Lord Darkrai." Sombra said curtly. The Pitch Black Pokemon stared back at him with amusement gleaming in his cold blue eye. "Ah, Sombra my friend… how will we extract our revenge on those foolish Princesses and the Legendaries?"

"… I always knew that Arceus and Giratina had feelings for Luna and Celestia… if we kidnap them, and break their spirits and wills, I say that we could weaken Arceus and Giratina with their love for the princesses, and finally receive our much deserved revenge." Sombra proposed.

"… That sounds like a brilliant plan. But how will we get past the guards? And how will we overpower Arceus and Giratina? Remember, those two are two of the strongest legendaries Sinnoh has ever seen. We cannot overpower them, especially in our weakened states." Darkrai argued.

Sombra's crimson pupils dilated, and with a sinister grin cackled in dark laughter. "Don't you worry my friend… I have a chaotic "friend" who would only be too happy to help us…"

Darkrai's eye widened, and if he had a mouth, he would have smiled. "Indeed… why did I ever doubt you my friend?" He chuckled darkly.

The two specters then evaporated into shadows, and drifted silently out of the castle, aiming to meet with their so called "friend" to discuss the sinister plan.


	2. Hunt for the Shadows

Hey! Delusional Potato here, working on my first collab story with Neo Dragon X! I guess I'll be handling the even chapters while he handles the odds. I hope you guys enjoy our story!

The shining castle of Canterlot glittered in the afternoon sun The beautiful white paint of the castle shone like pearls as it sat on the side of a tall mountain. Within the castle was a gorgeous white alicorn mare with a flowing, multi-colored mane. She currently stood at the window of her throne room. Her hooves and chest were adorned with golden jewelry, and a small, golden tiara sat upon her head, nearly hidden by her mane. Her eyes sparkled like amethyst, adding to her graceful appearance.

Just then, she turned, seeing something forming behind her. A golden portal appeared, growing larger as a new creature stepped out of it. This newcomer was other-worldly, almost equine-like, but not quite. His body was pure white, much like the alicorn he was visiting. Golden bars were attached to his sides, adorned with emeralds at the ends. His face was gray, and his eyes were emerald with scarlet pupils. He was a few feet taller than the equine he was visiting. The alicorn was not startled by this newcomer. Instead, she approached him, affectionately nuzzling him. He returned the gesture before they split apart.

"It's been a while, Arceus." The equine began, looking slightly disdainful towards the newcomer.

The creature called Arceus looked down, embarressed slightly, "I'm sorry, Celestia. You know my duties in the pokémon world come first."

"It's been months though," Celestia argued, "You have to have found him by now."

"Darkrai is tricky," Arceus explained, "I can't stop until I know his evil ways have been put to rest. Ever since my sons, Dialga and Palkia fought relentlessly, I've been concerned about Darkrai's return. No pokémon is truly evil, but I believe he is an exception."

Celestia was concerned. Arceus had been hunting this "Darkrai" character for ages now with little to no rest. She had never met Darkrai personally, but by the way Arceus talking about him, he was clearly a threat.

"What about Giratina?" Celestia questioned, "Luna has been worried sick about him."

"He's still following up on a lead for Darkrai," Arceus explained, "Thus, our lead brought us here, for some odd reason."

Celestia cocked an eyebrow, "Wouldn't we know if he was here?"

"No," Arceus shook his head, "But both me and my brother are sure that Darkrai has come here. He may seek shelter somewhere where no one shall ever think to look. He loves dark and deserted places, though. Is there anywhere that may match that?"

Celestia shrugged, "I'm sorry, but I don't know anywhere off the top of my head."

Arceus didn't say anything. His emerald eyes were closed and his head was down. He slowly turned away, silently floating towards the window on the other side of the room.

"Celestia," He began, "Darkrai may be weak now, but if he can regain strength, it may be the end of all of us. He is not one that should be taken lightly," The alpha pokémon turned to the alicorn, "What if he allies with one of your enemies?"

Celestia shook her head, "Impossible. Nightmare Moon has been cast out of my sister's body, Discord is in stone, Queen Chrysalis and the changelings have been scattered and weakened severely, and King Sombra has been destroyed by the Crystal Heart."

Arceus looked over the beautiful city of Canterlot, "What if he managed to gain enough power to bring one of them back? From what you have told me, it seems as if Sombra shares much in common with Darkrai. They both share the same objectives in that they wish to rule in fear and darkness..."

"That's ridiculous," Celestia laughed, approaching the lord's side, "It would be impossible to bring back Sombra unless Darkrai managed to find an anchor point; something that Sombra could hold onto without completely dying."

Arceus looked down, "That doesn't change his being here. If he can regenerate his powers, he could bring back one of your enemies and ally with them. It wouldn't be hard to bring the bitterness back to Luna's heart, nor would it be hard to break open a stone prison or gather up the changeling army again."

"I think you're stressing too much," Celestia insisted, "Maybe you should rest. Tomorrow you can set out and look for Darkrai. Me and Luna will be glad to accompany you."

Arceus shook his head, "Too dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt."

Celestia raised a very unamused eyebrow, "You're talking to a princess who has kept her empire safe for thousands upon thousands of years. You're concerned about my safety?"

Arceus mustered a chuckle, "I suppose you're right, but I can't take the risk."

Celestia calmly leaned on the alpha pokémon's shoulder, "Please, just stay here for the night. I promise we can start looking for Darkrai tomorrow."

Arceus hesitated for a moment, "Very well. Only tonight. When the sun rises tomorrow, I will be off again."

In one of the palace towers, an ebony-colored alicorn napped. She had a beautiful flowing mane of stars that lit up the currently dark bedroom. Her hooves were adorned with light purple jewelry, and a small, black necklace decorated with a crescent moon hung around her neck. Her light blue eyes were closed as she lightly snored.

A loud sound awoke her. A portal of purple appeared in her bedroom before a large, basilisk-like creature calmly exited it. The gray basilisk had golden plates adorning his face and his legs. Six golden rib bones wrapped around his neck, and the three golden claws at the end of each of his six legs. His ginormous black wings were currently folded against his sides, the red spikes that tipped the ends facing outwards so as to not impale the great dragon's sides. Usually, he was much larger, but he had shrunken himself down in order to fit in the room.

"Giratina!" The alicorn cried, running to embrace the basilisk, "I've missed you so much!"

The creature called Giratina mustered a smile, "I have missed you too, Luna."

Luna backed up, her smile suddenly dropping, "So... Um... What of Darkrai?"

Giratina looked down, "Apparently, while my nephews Dialga and Palkia fought, they created a hole in time and space that allowed Darkrai to travel to a different world; this world to be exact. At least, that's what my brother speculates."

"That's horrible," Luna gasped, "Well, we must stop him!"

"Actually, it will be only me and Arceus," Giratina quickly interrupted, his red and black eyes showing slight reluctance, "He's our enemy, and it's up to us to stop him."

"But..." Luna began. Her expression suddenly became stern, "It's our land that he had invaded!"

"That's Arceus' orders," Giratina explained, "I can't fight with my brother and expect to win. We'll probably start out again as soon as Arceus is done with reporting to Celes-"

Just then, a white flash blinded both of them. Giratina's brother was standing there, seeming giddy and quite happy. If he could, he probably would be smiling.

"My brother," Arceus said to Giratina, "We're staying the night here in Equestria. We'll set out tomorrow to hunt for Darkrai once again."


	3. Meeting with a Chaotic Friend

**Chapter 3: Meeting with a "Friend"**

** Hey guys! Its Neo Dragon X here with the third chapter of our co-op story! Enjoy! XD**

Darkrai snarled as he and Sombra flew towards the Canterlot gardens. The two dark kings had camouflaged themselves into the night with their dark magic, rendering themselves perfectly undetectable against Luna's star speckled night. The two tyrants were currently on their way to see Sombra's "friend", whom he said could help them kidnap the princesses.

"So Sombra… please describe this "friend" of yours and tell me exactly how he plans to kidnap the princesses. Remember, we are up against two princesses that raise the sun and moon themselves, and moving celestial bodies isn't the easiest thing to do. Second, they have two extremely powerful Legendaries protecting them, one which created most of my world, and the other who rules over a twisted world filled with the spirits of the dead."

Sombra chuckled darkly. "This so called friend is among the strongest deities Equestria has ever seen. He is an incredibly powerful user of chaos magic, being able to bend reality to his will. Long before the princesses took power, he was the tyrant of Equestria, torturing ponies day and night with his chaotic magic before Luna and Celestia finally took a stand and turned him to stone with the Elements of Harmony, powerful ancient artifacts that only six pure hearted ponies can wield."

Darkrai raised an eyebrow, skeptical of his comrade's words. "Are you sure that he can help us kidnap the princesses? He must have a price." Sombra chuckled again. "Not to worry my friend. All we have to do is to free him from his stony prison, and we'll negotiate a deal…" Darkrai nodded in agreement. The rest of the trip was in silence.

At last, they arrived at the gardens. A single guard was patrolling it, mostly to ensure no mischievous foals were running around causing trouble. He wasn't expecting two powerful dark kings to arrive. Darkrai proceeded to knock the guard cold with a single Dark Pulse. The two then entered the garden, determined to find Sombra's friend.

"His name… is Discord." Sombra added as he and Darkrai strolled across the gardens towards their destination. Darkrai then stopped when Sombra held out a hoof. The two dark kings looked up to see Sombra's friend… encased in stone. Darkrai saw that Discord was a mixture of several different creatures, with a lion's paw and an eagle's claw for his hands, and a long snake tail. The rest of him looked every bit as bizarre.

He had a blue Pegasus wing as his left wing, while a purple dragon wing formed his right wing. He was a fearsome sight, but he looked as if though he was frozen while in a terrified pose. His arms were stuck in front of him in a defensive posture, while his face registered terror.

"Discord was a draconequus who lived for over ten thousand years, ever since Equestria was first formed. He had taken over, ruling over the ponies with an iron fist. He was a tyrant, punishing even the most lightest of crimes with terrible methods, including dangling ponies over fire, and threatening to drown Equestria in his plunderseeds." Sombra finished.

Darkrai grinned. He was already starting to like this Discord, all of his qualities neatly matched the evil Pitch Black Pokémon's own nature. "How do we break him out of his prison?" Darkrai asked. Sombra chuckled. "The princesses made one crucial error that will cost them the day. They have forgotten to maintain control over Discord's statue, and so the various defensive spells they have cast to keep the petrification in check is faltering. This is where we break it open with our strongest attacks." The Crystal King finished.

Darkrai nodded in grim determination, before floating to a couple of meters away from the statue. Sombra also trotted beside Darkrai, and the two dark kings focused their powers. Darkrai cupped his claws together, and they crackled with a dark, jagged aura as the Pitch Black Pokémon focused all his residual power into a powerful attack.

Sombra lowered his horn and aimed it at the statue, and it crackled with pure dark energy as the Crystal King powered to the maximum. A large ball of dark energy formed in Darkrai's cupped claws, crackling with intense power, before the two kings released all that pent up energy at once.

Instantly two massive beams of powerful dark energy blasted out of Darkrai's claws and Sombra's horn, and slammed into the statue. However, the beams impacted against something solid, being stopped in its tracks by an invisible shield. The protection spells the princesses had placed on the statue were resisting their efforts.

With grunts of effort, Darkrai and Sombra pushed more energy into the beams, and with a sound like broken glass, the shield shattered. The beams slammed directly into the statue causing a outline of dark energy to appear around it. With the crumbling of stone, the statue glowed, then exploded into a million pieces.

After the smoke cleared, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony had been freed… Darkrai and Sombra watched in surprise as Discord hovered in the air, before stretching backwards and grabbing his foot at a impossible angle. An audible crack was heard, and he sighed in relief. "Ah! A relief! Gods, you don't even know how much I struggled to break out of this annoying stone shell…" The spirit grumbled, pushing into his back with a grunt.

Darkrai and Sombra simply stared at each other in shock, before grinning evilly. "Well, it's nice to see you as well old friend." Discord grinned. "Ah, Sombra, it's good to see you as well, but for what reason did you free me?" Sombra lowered his head and gave a sinister grin.

"We are currently seeking revenge on the princesses and those Legendaries for what they did to us long ago, and who better to help us then the Master of Chaos himself?" Discord raised his head proudly. "And as you see, we are weakened for our various… eh…. Endeavours, so your help will be very much appreciated."

Discord nodded in silent agreement. "But what's in it for me?" He demanded. Sombra raised a skeptical eyebrow. "But don't you thirst for revenge upon the princesses for imprisoning you for so long?" He asked. "Well, spending over a thousand years trapped in stone does leave your mind blank…" Discord yawned, stretching.

Darkrai growled. "So we came here for nothing then? Your so called friend can't help us?" the dark specter demanded. "Well…" Sombra grumbled. "How's this Discord, if you help us kidnap the princesses, we'll give you a large area of Equestria to rule over as your own private chaotic resort after we're finished"

Discord stroked his goatee as he though silently to himself. Having a large private area for him to use as his own chaotic resort… it sounded pretty good.

He held out his eagle claw, and Sombra shook it with a devious smile. "Got it, absolutely fine with me." The chaotic spirit grinned. Darkrai then floated up beside Sombra, who nodded to him. "This is Lord Darkrai, who is from a region known as Sinnoh."

"He thirsts for revenge upon the Legendaries, Arceus and Giratina, prevented him from shrouding the world in eternal shadow." The Crystal King explained. Discord nodded as he stared at Darkrai thoughtfully.

"Indeed… tonight… shall be the overthrowing of the rulers!" Discord cackled, with Darkrai and Sombra joining in soon afterwards…


	4. Capture of the Princesses

Here's the next chapter from the potato who believes in unicorns! Enjoy!

XXX

Celestia's amethyst eyes slowly cracked open. She sat up, yawning as she did. Something warm sat against her, moving with steady and slow breathing. The Alicorn looked to her side, seeing the familiar sight of Arceus fast asleep with his body slightly curled around her. Celestia smiled before rising from the bed quietly.

It was still dark outside, and it wasn't quite time for the sun to rise. Celestia decided to take a walk through the palace halls to wake herself before proceeding to raise the sun. She allowed her thoughts to wander as she did.

Arceus hadn't left yet, which surprised Celestia. She expected him to be gone even before she got up to raise the sun. She wasn't complaining, but she just found it strange. He was so determined to find and stop Darkrai from... Whatever he was planning to do, Celestia figured Arceus wouldn't even care to sleep.

Celestia shook her thoughts away, noticing that there were no guards lining the halls as there should have been. In fact, the halls were eeriely quiet...

"Must be their break." Celestia thought outloud. However, as the sun princess continued on, she failed to notice the serpentine shadow quietly crawling across the walls, watching her with red and yellow eyes...

XXX

Luna watched the stars in the sky, her head resting on her hoof. She observed through a window, her eyes nearly closed as the morning approached. In just a few minutes, she would have to summon up her powers and lower the moon to make way for her sister's morning. Giratina and Arceus should have been gone by now.

Luna probably wouldn't get the chance to even say goodbye to her protector, the renegade pokémon and the Lord of the Distortion World. She was quite upset that they had to spend their time looking for some "Darkrai" character while they were here. Luna wanted Giratina to be here for her, not to look for some dangerous creature. She wished she could go with them, but Arceus and Celestia both would say no.

Through her musings, she didn't see the two figures creeping out of the shadows right behind her.

XXX

Arceus' gentle snoring was broken as he woke up. His head shot up, glancing around the room. His brother Giratina had stolen Luna's bed right next to his and Celestia's bed.

Speaking of Celestia, she wasn't laying next to him as she should have been. Perhaps she had already gone to raise the sun. The alpha pokémon slowly floated off the bed, stretching his tired limbs. Stretching his long neck, Arceus noticed the time. 7:00 AM... Yet... The sun wasn't up. It was still pitch-black dark outside. He looked over at his brother before approaching him and nudging him gently.

Giratina raised his golden plated head, "Yes...?"

"Where is Luna?" Arceus asked.

Giratina looked around, "Hm... I believe she doesn't sleep during the night."

"But how come the sun hasn't come up yet?" Arceus stated, "It's much past its time."

Giratina looked outside, noticing that it was still dark. He then looked at the clock on the wall.

"Brother..." The renegade started, his black and red eyes staring into his sibling's emerald and red, "Are you implying that something bad is going to happen?"

"I'm not," Arceus replied, heading for the door, "I'm implying that something bad has already happened."

Giratina sensed the worry in his brother's usually strong and confident voice. They headed out the door together, immediately discovering all of the palace guards knocked out and scattered about the hall.

"What's going on?" Giratina asked.

Arceus looked all around, locating a guard that was half-awake. The alpha pokémon approached him, crouching down to his level, "Sir knight, what has happened?"

The guard coughed. His fur was coated in a strange, black gunk. His armor was dented in many places. One of his eyes were swollen over, signaling someone had hit him very hard. Seeing that the guard was too damaged to speak, Arceus used a healing attack to heal him back to health.

"I don't know, Lord Arceus sir," The guard began, "I was walking along the halls when something grabbed me and beat me until everything went black. I didn't get time to look at the attacker."

"The princesses!" Giratina cried, "The attacker might have gotten them too!"

"In that case, we must hurry," Arceus stated, "Come! Quickly! We mustn't waste any time!"

"Agreed!" Giratina replied before they took off down the hall. Both brothers moved quickly, checking every room and hallway. They tried to check the throne room, but the doors were locked. Using a Shadow Claw attack, Giratina broke the door open, allowing entry. In the throne room, they discovered both princesses with frightened looks on their faces. They stood rooted to the floor, unable to move from the spot and run to greet their protectors.

"Arceus! Giratina!" Celestia cried, "Run!"

"What?" Giratina asked, "What are you talking about?"

"What's wrong?" Arceus added, "Tell us what's going on!"

"Don't ask questions!" Luna screamed desperately, "Just run!"

Both legendary brothers attempted to approach them, but a cloud of pitch-black smoke appeared between them. Two figures took shape within the smoke, pushing Arceus and Giratina further away from the princesses. The smoke cleared, showing a stallion and a phantom-like creature now standing between the princesses and the legendaries.

"Darkrai!" Giratina growled, taking an attack stance with his brother quickly following, "And... Er...?"

Giratina's cluelessness caused the stallion to sigh, "King Sombra, you fool! Enemy to the princesses and the once mighty king of the Crystal Empire!"

Arceus advanced foward, crouched down in a battle stance, "Leave the princesses alone." He growled in a surprisingly calm tone, "Let them go before you force me to do something rash."

"What do you even want with them?" Giratina asked. The question caused both villains to chuckle condescendingly.

"For vengeance," Darkrai replied, "Both me and my new ally decided that we should rip you and the princesses apart."

"Taking the princesses would prove to weaken you all," Sombra added, "Holding them for ransom would certainly improve our standpoints as well."

An orb began sparking at Arceus' face, "Let them go."

An orb also sparked from Giratina's mouth, "Now."

"You can't do anything to us." Darkrai snarled.

"We dare you to try." Sombra said with a slight chuckle.

This made Arceus very mad. The alpha pokémon suddenly flew up into the air, an orb fully formed in front of his face.

"DO NOT TEST ME!" He roared before he fired the orb. It split off into many different beams of light, forming Arceus' signature attack: Judgement. The beams flew right towards the two shadowy beings who did not make an effort to avoid them. The attack pounded the floor of the castle, leaving huge craters and breaking the stain glass windows in the room.

As the smoke cleared, Arceus was shocked to see that his attack had failed. Darkrai, Sombra, and the princesses were completely unharmed. Everything else was destroyed by Arceus' attack; all except the spot he was aiming at.

"Impossible!" The alpha pokémon growled, "That should have vaporized you both! You aren't strong enough to block my attacks yet!"

"They may not be," Another voice echoed through the room, "But guess who is~?"

The legendaries and the princesses both froze in place while Sombra and Darkrai's smug looks only deepened.

"Sister!" Luna whimpered to Celestia, "It's him! He's escaped again!"

"That's right, Lulu dear!" The voice called out again, "He's baaaaaaack!"

At that very moment, the legendary brothers were blinded by a golden light. Now standing in the middle of Darkrai and Sombra was a newcomer; an incredibly patchwork-like creature of many different animal parts.

"What in the name of..." Giratina started to ask, turning to Sombra and Darkrai, "What is that monstrosity?"

Before the two shadowy beings could answer, the "monstrosity" pushed his way to the front, taking center stage. "Correction," He said, "'Who' is that monstrosity. The name's Discord, the almighty and -might I say so myself- handsome spirit of chaos and disharmony."

Sombra stepped foward, slightly pushing Discord out of his way, "You see, me and my companion are not at full power yet. It will probably be a few more days before we can hope to be so. Therefore, we recruited the help of Equestria's most powerful enemy."

"I didn't think it would work," Darkrai said to Sombra, "I was wrong. He's stronger than the alpha pokémon himself!"

"Thanks for the flattery, Rags," Discord chuckled, causing Darkrai to growl a little at the stupid nickname, "And look! You promised me vengeance, and you were right! The princesses are our's now..."

"Let them go!" Giratina demanded. His body was cracking with a shadowy aura, preparing for attack. Arceus was also preparing another Judgement attack, ready to destroy the princesses' captors.

At that very moment, Discord smiled evilly and clicked his eagle claw. The two princesses in question disappeared in a flash of light, leaving no trace of them anywhere. This only made the brothers angrier.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Discord apologized sarcastically, "I thought you said make them go away. I'm so so sorry..."

"Bring them back!" Arceus demanded.

"We'll be happy to bring them back," Darkrai began, "With a price..." G

iratina snarled, "What do you want?"

"Your surrender," Sombra finished, "As well as the throne to Equestria, the Pokémon World, and the Distortion World."

"Never!" Arceus roared, "I would rather die than give my kingdom to you fiends!"

"And so would I!" Giratina added, "I shall protect the Distortion World with my life!"

"It's either that." Darkrai replied. His single blue eye flashed murderously, "Or the princesses shall perish. You have exactly five days starting at high noon to make the right decision. When the time is up and you haven't given in to our demands, Celestia and Luna will die."

Discord snickered, "Oooh! I like you both already! I can't wait to finally rid of the princesses!"

Both Sombra and Darkrai ignored him as Sombra continued with the ransom demands, "We'll be waiting in the Crystal Empire for you to come and tell us your final decision. Until then, we bid you farewell."

"Goodbye." Darkrai added in a serious voice.

"Arrivederci!" Discord finished, completely ruining the seriousness with his jolly tone.

With that, the three villains disappeared, leaving Arceus and Giratina to themselves. Arceus turned to his brother slowly, eyes filled with worry.

"We..." He started, "Need help..."


	5. Villainous Talk

**Chapter 5: Villains Unite**

**Hey! It's Neo Dragon X with the fifth chapter of the story! Enjoy!**

Sombra snarled as he, Darkrai, and Discord appeared in the castle with a flash of light. The Crystal King had finally regained some of his energy, yet still felt weakened. He and Darkrai, even with Discord's help, would be no match against the legendary brothers. However, they had two extremely useful bargaining tools… the princesses…

Celestia and Luna slowly came back to conscious, dazed from the teleportation spell Discord had used. They found themselves inside a large cage constructed of iron, reinforced with powerful defensive spells. They were shackled to the cage with magic draining chains, and Discord had promptly snapped their wings and horns off with a snap of his fingers, transforming the former beautiful, almighty alicorns into normal earth ponies.

"Sister… what are they planning to do with us?" Luna whimpered softly. Celestia shook her head and sighed, tired and broken. "They're probably planning to use us as bait to lure Arceus and Giratina here…" the Solar Monarch responded tiredly. Luna looked around them. She could see that they were trapped in the cage, and the location around them was… Sombra's castle…

"So, I see our guests are enjoying their stay here, eh?" A cold voice filled with mirth and malice chuckled darkly. "Indeed." Another cold voice added. "What fun is this?" A melodic voice filled with trickery chuckled. The two princesses whirled around to see King Sombra, Lord Darkrai, and Discord standing in front of their cage.

"**WE THOUST DEMAND YOU RELEASE US AT ONCE, YE SCOUNDRALS!" **Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice. Darkrai chuckled darkly. "In your dreams princess…" He responded curtly. Sombra then began trotting around the cage, grinning evilly at the two princesses.

"You don't how much this hurts those legendary brothers… Arceus and Giratina…" The Crystal King chuckled. Luna's eyes filled with tears. She truly loved the Distortion World ruler back, due to the huge amounts of trouble he had taken to tell her how he felt. Celestia also felt suddenly weakened at the thought of the Alpha Pokémon, whose feelings for her were as strong as well, and they were perfectly willing to walk into a deadly trap just to save them…

"You monsters! Why can't you just let bygones be bygones?!" Luna shouted at the three dark rulers. "Well, my dears, one of them is primarily taking over your kingdoms and subjects, therefore increasing our power, along with revenge upon all four of you for what you have done to us in the past!" Discord countered.

"You won't get away with this! Arceus and Giratina will make you pay for your deeds!" Celestia growled. Darkrai chuckled. "Him and what army? We can effortlessly defeat them… thanks to our combined strength." The Bringer of Nightmares countered. Celestia and Luna lowered their heads in despair. They knew that the fact was true, and that their loves could not defeat the dark tyrants without any help… but where were they going to get this help?

Arceus and Giratina rushed out of the castle, determined to find help to aid them in freeing the princesses they loved. They just had no clear idea who to recruit… Suddenly, Arceus stopped his brother. He sensed the presence of six incredibly powerful magic signatures… the barers of the legendary Elements of Harmony, from what Celestia had told him. He also knew of a certain Pikachu that helped save the Pokémon world on many different occasions. The Alpha Pokemon told his brother the plan, and the Renegade agreed to go back to recruit Pikachu, while Arceus dealt with the six young mares. Arceus absorbed the Sky Plate into his body, temporarily granting him the Flying Type, and flying powers as well.

Giratina summoned a portal to the Pokémon World, and leaped into it, vanishing with a flash. Arceus then sped up into the sky to find the mares.


	6. Recruiting Heroes

Arceus sped along the skies, flying through the clouds and dodging shellshocked birds. He found the small town of Ponyville and circled once before perching on a cloud overlooking the village. His emerald eyes scanned the small town, searching for the mares he had sensed. There, on the outskirts of Ponyville sat six mares under a tree on a picnic blanket. They chatted and laughed together, completely unaware of the hostile act that had just been made against the princesses.

As quickly as possible, Arceus rushed down to them as fast as his powers would allow him. He landed in front of the mares, startling them at first, but they quickly bowed, now seeing who's presence they were in.

"Lord Arceus," The purple unicorn Twilight Sparkle stepped foward to the alpha pokémon, "It's a pleasure to see you. What brings you to Ponyville?"

Arceus' tone was filled with worry, "Sombra, Discord, and Darkrai have kidnapped the princesses."

They all gasped. The white unicorn Rarity nearly fainted upon hearing this.

"Who's... Dock-cry?" Rainbow Dash the blue pegasus asked.

"An enemy to the pokémon world," Arceus explained, "They have taken the princesses and have demanded for the kingdoms in exchange for their safety. I have come to you, seeing how you have saved Equestria on multiple occasions with the Elements of Harmony. Me and my brother can not do this alone. Please, won't you help us?"

They all exchanged glances. Slowly, Twilight stepped foward.

"Lord Arceus," She started, "We will be happy to help you save the princesses."

Arceus' green and red eyes seemed to lose their worried looks and was replaced with a hopeful shine, "Thank you. Thank you so much. Now hurry! You must prepare for the trip to the Crystal Empire! I will retrieve the Elements of Harmony for you to wield and stop the princesses' kidnappers."

They all nodded gladly.

"You can count on us, Arceus sir!" Applejack cheered.

"Yeah! We'll kick their butt!" Rainbow Dash added.

"Let's get rid of those ruffians before they do something awful to the princesses!" Rarity whined.

"Yay! Adventure!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"Um... Yay?" Fluttershy whimpered.

"We won't let you down." Twilight concluded.

Arceus bowed his head before taking to the sky again. The six mares left for their homes in Ponyville to prepare for the journey.

XXX

Giratina was greeted with the fresh scent of the woods in Sinnoh. His red and black eyes scanned the area, looking for the paticular human's Pikachu. He turned himself into a shadow and stalked among the woods, picking up the sound of human laughter.

Quickly as possibly, he hid himself within a bush and watched a clearing where three humans were eating lunch, along with a Pikachu. Giratina knew that this was the Pikachu Arceus had spoke about. The little electric mouse would definitely help him and his brother save the princesses from their doom. In an attempt to lure the Pikachu away from his human companions, Giratina used his powers to bring a Pecha berry into the bush he hid in. Pikachu fell for it and chased the berry into the bush, where he was greeted by the sight of Giratina, who had shrunk himself down in order to stay hidden and not intimidate the rodent.

For a moment, Pikachu was surprised. But he knew Giratina wasn't hostile, being that the great basilisk was not attacking him. The renegade cleared his throat and spoke in a calm, clear voice.

"I need your help, young Pikachu," He explained to the rodent, "My, and my brother's loves have been taken by a trio of hostile villains."

Giratina then went on to explain Equestria, the princesses, and how they had been kidnapped by Darkrai, Sombra, and Discord. Pikachu listened intently, understanding every word the great renegade said. When he had finished, Pikachu jumped on the basilisk's back before giving a happy "Pika!", signaling that he had agreed to help.

With that, Giratina conjured up a portal back to Equestria. The two jumped through it, ready to face the challenge ahead.

XXX

Later, Arceus and Giratina met back at the edges of Ponyville. The six mares also met with them, as Arceus had the Elements of Harmony.

Seeing that they were all ready, Arceus cleared his throat and began giving an encouraging, beginning speech, "Thank you so much for helping us. Together, we shall save the princesses and stop the forces of evil from taking over. Together, we go!"


	7. Discord's Decision

**Chapter 7: Discord's Deal**

**Hey! Its Neo Dragon X with the newest chapter of our story! I hope you'll enjoy!**

As Arceus, Giratina, the Mane Six, and Pikachu flew to save the princesses, a certain Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony was having second thoughts about the whole kidnapping thing. The draconequus wasn't truely evil, his sense of humor was just rather twisted. However, he did believe that the princesses did not derserve being their prisoners, as he had one difference then Darkrai and Sombra. His heart wasn't as black as night.

He truely understood the princesses's reasons for turning him to stone. Back then, he was a huge jerk, he freely admitted that. Dangling ponies over fire was a actual act of evil, not just a practical joke. Discord looked down at his mismatched hands, one a lion's paw, and the other a eagle's claw. His mind processed the new thoughts at a incredible speed, before the draconequus raised his head. He was going to help the princesses... but at a price.

"Discord!" A sudden voice shouted from the nearby room. The spirit raised his head in shock. "Yes?" He shouted back. "Why don't you come here for some wine and celebrate that we have finally kidnapped those foolish princesses? Soon the three kingdoms shall be ours to rule!" Darkrai's voice cackled with glee.

"Alright! Heading over!" He replied. The spirit then snapped his fingers and teleported to the dining hall. He saw Darkrai and Sombra already seated there, Darkrai tearing hungrily into a pile of berries, while Sombra sipped a glass of pure red liquid with a amused grin on his fanged mouth.

The Pitch Black Pokemon, his mouth filled with Pecha berries. "Ah! Discord! Just the God of Chaos I wanted to see! Come here!" The spirit sat down on a chair next to Sombra, who grinned and continued sipping his wine.

"We have finally kidnapped those mares! With their release, we shall gain ultimate power! Arceus and Giratina love those princesses too much to watch them die... so no doubt they'll hand over their kingdoms!" Darkrai cackled with malicious glee. Sombra gave a amused smile back. "Now now, Darkrai. Calm down. Those two lords are very crafty, as are the princesses. If we don't keep our guard up, no doubt they'll find a way out of this."

Darkrai slammed down a mug of ale onto the table, before taking another sip and lashing out in a drunken state. "Nonsense! We shall crush those foolish lords in battle! Glory! Riches! Onward I say-..." The Bringer of Nightmares fell unconscious, his mug slipping from his limp claws and shattering on the floor. Sombra rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Crystal Slaves!" The King of Shadows shouted. The door opened and two crystal ponies, their coats covered in dust came in. "Yes King Sombra?" They asked timidly, before cringing as the Crystal King smashed his ironbound hoof onto the table.

"Clean up Lord Darkrai and get him into one of his bedrooms!" He ordered. "Yes king!" They responded, before one of them grabbed Darkrai by the shoulders and used her magic to clean him, sweeping away ale and food bits. She then left the room with the unconscious Darkrai held in her magical grasp.

The other pony proceeded to clean the mess the drunken Bringer of Nightmares had made, using his magic to grasp a broom and a dustpan. He sweeped the mug and food bits into the dustpan, before bowing and leaving as well.

Sombra then turned to Discord, a amused grin on his fang-lined mouth. "Excuse those two. They're a couple. Rose and Blade are their names, though from where those exotic names had come from, I have no idea. They are rarely seperated... even has a small foal at home. But subjects needs to know the meaning of true fear to build a strong empire. Those two, along with the rest of the Crystal Ponies in this empire, are scared to Tartarus of me, and for good reason too."

Discord nodded, not really paying attention to the Crystal King. He had spotted a small Crystal filly at the door, anxiously waiting for her parents, which the Spirit of Chaos guessed were the two that had just left. Sombra caught the filly in his sights, and at once left his chair and stomped up to the small foal.

Discord watched with horror as the King glared down at the innocent filly, who stared up at him with wide, frightened eyes. "You... what are you doing here in the dining room? This room is for royalty only..." The filly stared back at him with fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry King Sombra, but I am looking for my parents..."

Sombra's forked tongue slowly licked across his fangs as he grinned. "Your parents huh? Well... unfortunately for you... your parents will not be your last sight..." The filly's eyes widened at the sudden choice of words as she screamed and attempted to run, but Sombra grabbed her by the neck and brought her close to his maw.

He then turned to Discord and gave him a forgiving smile. "Forgive me for what your about to see right Discord, but I am always hungry... and the precious crimson liquid that runs through pony's veins is the only thing that can sastify my hunger..." With that, he bared his fangs and lunged.

Discord covered his eyes and ears, blocking out the horrid sounds of the filly's screams as th Crystal King commenced his feeding. Thats it. He had made his choice. With a snap of his fingers, he teleported back to the prison which held Celestia and Luna.

The two princesses, by now throughly broken, both in mind and spirit, lay there. Suddenly, a flash of light and the draconequus appeared in front of them. At the sight of him, Luna snarled as she got up and attempted to lunge at the Spirit of Chaos, but the chains wrapped around her neck stopped her short.

"Calm yourself Luna. I am not here to hurt or taunt you. I am here to help you." The draconequus ordered. Luna gave a bitter laugh. "Thats one of the biggest lies I have ever heard Discord... you only do things for yourself. Your one of the most selfish individuals I have ever had the misfortune to see."

Discord winced at the sharp insult, but otherwise ignored it. "King Sombra has gone too far... I have seen him drain all the blood from a helpless filly... I cannot stand that kind of villany. Sure, I'm a villain, but even villains have _certain _rules when it comes to this. I cannot stand idly by and watch the same happen to you. I must take action."

"And how do you exactly propose to do that, Discord?" Celestia asked grimly, as she walked up next to her sister. Both alicorns were now staring profusely at the Spirit of Chaos. Discord scratched his neck awkwardly, but began to recite his plan.

"I will help you escape, but for a price." Luna scowled at the word "price". "What kind of price Discord?" Celestia asked. "You'll see..." was the curt response. The two princesses looked at each other, before nodding and placing their hooves out.

"Its a deal."

**Hey! Sorry for the long wait! I was busy with personal life and other "things"... lol! Hope you enjoy!**


	8. Planning

Within the Crystal Empire, Sombra was trotting through the halls of the castle with Darkrai at his side.

"So where is Discard?" Darkrai asked. He still appeared to be hung-over from eating too many pecha berries the night before.

Sombra's demonic red eyes seemed to register distaste, "He was checking in on the progress of the Legendary Brothers earlier this morning. He hasn't returned since."

"Au contraire!" A voice rebutted, "The great Discord has returned!"

In a flash of light, the creature in question appeared, blinding the still-drowsy Sombra and Darkrai.

"Oh, and Rags," Discord began, "It's DiscORD. With an 'O'. Get your names right."

Darkrai growled with resentment.

"Have you found out anything about their progress?" Sombra derailed the subject.

Discord nodded, "I have indeed! They've unfortunately gotten the help of the ponies who defeated me and Sombra."

Sombra bared his teeth, "Twilight Sparkle and her moronic power of friendship."

"And... They've also gotten the help of some weird, yellow mouse thing." Discord continued.

A low growl came from Darkrai, "The annoyingly heroic human's Pikachu."

"But don't you worry, my friends," Discord rambled on, "Apparently, the llama-god himself is carrying the Elements of Harmony; my only weakness. Being that Arceus and Giratina are the only ones strong enough to defeat us as well, I've set up a little... Trap for them."

"But what about the ponies?" Sombra insisted.

This question caused Discord to laugh, "Them? They're completely helpless without their Elements. Luckily, they are traveling separately. The ponies are travelling here by train to stay safe, while Arceus and Giratina are travelling the land."

Sombra smiled devilishly, "How foolish of them."

"What trap did you set for them?" Darkrai inquired.

"Weeeelll..." Discord drawled in a mysterious tone, "Let's just say, I may pull out a few of my unexpected tricks..."

This seemed to please Sombra and Darkrai, who exchanged sadistic glances before turning back to Discord. However, Sombra's evil smile immediately fell.

"What if your tricks fail?" He asked.

This only made the chaotic creature laugh harder, "My tricks have never failed! At least, not the first time. I can break the strongest mind; even the princesses. You have me to thank for that whole Nightmare Moon inccident."

Sombra looked rather surprised, "...Impressive... And you plan to attack the Brothers first?"

"Of course," Continued Discord, "Once they have turned against each other and give up the mission, then there will be no one to stop us. I shall take the Elements of Harmony that they are carrying and lock them up somewhere where the ponies can't find."

"That sounds positively horrible," Darkrai commented, "How soon can you start on it?"

"Right now."

Sombra and Darkrai exchanged glances again before Sombra spoke, "We can't wait to see the outcome. We'll be waiting in the throne room to see the results."

As the two dark beings trotted away, Discord smiled mischievously to himself. After seeing what Sombra had done to that poor, innocent filly, Discord was determined to do something about it. The two clearly still trusted him, so that was always a plus. What worried him the most was stopping Arceus and Giratina.

Sure, Discord might have been able to stop a single attack from the poké-god himself. But with two, incredible powerful pokémon attacking him repeatedly, he wouldn't be able to stop them, even with his near-infinite powers. When they got there, they would tear the entire empire apart, searching for their princesses. That wouldn't be a fun experience.

And when the princesses found out what he was about to do to the two brothers...

Discord shrugged it off. The princesses and the ponies were the least of his concern. He still wanted the power, but he didn't want tyrants Sombra and Darkrai ruling. Keeping their trust for as long as he could was the best way to go until he could figure out something else...

The great alpha pokémon and his renegade brother flew over the forests of Equestria. Giratina's giant, ebony wings beat against the air in harmonic rhythm, while Arceus galloped through the air as though it were the ground itself.

"Brother, how far away is the Crystal Empire?" Giratina asked.

Arceus replied with a sigh, "I'm afraid it is a very far away, but we will make it. Don't worry."

"I don't think it was a very good idea to seperate ourselves from the bearers of the Elements." Giratina grumbled.

"We do not want them to get hurt," Arceus explained, "We have the Elements with us, so if Sombra, Darkrai, or Discord attack us, we will be able to protect said Elements."

A tiny, yellow mouse poked out from behind Giratina's long neck. The mouse gave a happy 'Pika!'

Arceus chuckled, "And of course, we have Pikachu to help us."

Giratina sighed, "I still don't think this a good idea..."

Arceus shook his head, "Don't worry, my brother. Once we rescue the princesses, you won't think it's such a bad idea after all."

Giratina scoffed, "If you say so."

The six bearers of the Elements rode along in the train, heading to the Crystal Empire. Twilight sat in the dining car, head between her hooves as she stared at the passing scenery. A familiar orange mare slid into the booth across from her.

"You alright, sugarcube?" Asked Applejack.

Twilight shook her head, "No. I'm very worried for the princesses. What if we can't save them in time? What if Sombra, Discord, and that... Dock-cry character end up hurting the princesses anyway?"

Applejack gave a kind smile, "Now you shouldn't think like that, hon. I have full trust in ourselves and Arceus and Giratina. We'll save the princesses, and I know it!"

Twilight sighed, thinking about how her beloved mentor Princess Celestia was holding up, "I guess so..."

"Arceus!"

Arceus stopped abruptedly when his brother called him, "What is it?"

Giratina pointed with a golden clawed paw, "There's something down there! Why... What is it?"

"You probably just saw an animal."

"No! I saw something else!" Giratina started to dive down into the woods.

"Brother! No!" Arceus cried, chasing after him. His brother disappeared into the woods without a trace. The alpha pokémon landed, his emerald and ruby eyes scanning the area. How had Giratina disappeared so quickly? Perhaps he had used Shadow Force so he could disappear quicker. Arceus felt uneasy. Something felt off, giving him a very bad feeling. With his nerves running wild, he slowly turned all around, looking within the shadows of the bushes.

"Giratina..." Arceus began. The great renegade did not respond, Oh no... Where have you gone?

Sorry for the long wait. I've been lazy, and I'm sure Neo Dragon knows that. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. Stick around for more!


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